Jossif Ezekilov
Last year, Boston overcame a slow start to finish the regular season with 50 wins. They then had an
amazing playoff run, one that was unexpected and yet, given the talent and fortitude of this team, really
shouldn’t have been. They put away Lebron James and Cleveland Cavaliers, the best team in the league
in the Conference semis. After dealing away with Orlando, they went onto to the NBA Finals and lost in
Game 7 to the Lakers.
This year, the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett come back another year older (the
Big 3’s average age is now just under 34 years old) and are looking at a new challenger in Miami and
its new Big Three for the Eastern Conference championship. Over the summer, they stocked up and
prepared for the challenge of trying to get back to the Finals for the second straight year and perhaps
win it this time.
The Celtics may not have acquired the most prized free agent possession, but they did acquire one of
the biggest, certainly in terms of size and personality. Yes folks, Shaquille O'Neal is moving to Beantown.
He, along with other free agent big man acquisition Jermaine O’Neal, will bolster the Boston frontcourt,
which will be without starting center Kendrick Perkins until at least January. By all accounts, Shaq will
be coming off the bench, and Jermaine (it’s kind of ironic that two guys named O’Neal are playing in
Boston; and neither of them are Irish) will be starting at the 5. This seems like the best way for a player
of Shaq’s caliber to end his career: coming off the bench for one of the greatest basketball teams
in history and trying to make them a championship contender. Danny Ainge compared it to when
Bill Walton did the same thing in 1985 (which resulted in a Celtics championship; yea, Danny seems
hyped up for the season). If Shaq is indeed cool with this role (and doesn’t whine midway through
the season like he sometimes does), the Celtics will benefit greatly from him clogging the lanes and
freeing up shooters, and as another target for a Rajon Rondo assist. The half-court offense of the
Celtics should provide a much better pace for the Big Fella as well. I liked what Jermaine did through
the regular season in Miami, but his playoff performance (9% FG, that’s unheard of) was abysmal.
Luckily the Celtics also have Glen Davis who will continue to be the Glen Davis we all know and love.
Along with the O’Neals, Boston now has a slew of guards to bolster their backcourt. They resigned Nate
Robinson, who was great in the playoffs and proved that he can keep his head straight and play on a
good team. If he remains consistent he should see plenty of playing time.
The Celtics also added guards Delonte West and Von Wafer. You may know West as the former shooting
guard of the Cleveland Cavaliers who was often criticized for shooting them out of playoff games.
You also may know him as the guy battling bipolar disorder who is going to be suspended for the
first 10 games after being charged with gun possession. So why would the Celtics sign a guy like that?
Off court issues aside, West can be a truly effective role player for the team that drafted him, as he
can play both guard positions and make key plays on both sides of the ball. Under the heavy veteran
presence on this team, I think West will finally be able to get through his issues and come into his own.
Wafer has spent the last couple of seasons playing in Greece. Before that, he had a pretty successful
year with the Houston Rockets. He is an athletic shooting guard who will be able to come in and put up
points in a hurry.
All the new additions will allow Pierce, Allen, and Garnett to spend more time on the bench and will
hopefully keep them injury free (especially KG) and fit to make a deep playoff run again this season.
Rondo will again be the heartbeat of the offense and anchor the perimeter defense. Considering he has
improved in every season he has played, and at just 24, he may be in for his best season yet. Barring
injuries, a 15-16 point, 10-11 assist season is highly probable.
Another year, and it’s the same story for the Celtics. They add more pieces, and yet another team,
this time Miami, is overshadowing them as the favorite in the East. It certainly sounds like a familiar
scenario, and the Celtics will do everything in their power to make fate repeat itself and get back into
the Finals.
Team Snapshot
Arrivals: Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal, Delonte West, Von Wafer, Semih Erden
Departures: Tony Allen, Shelden Williams, Brian Scalabrine, Rasheed Wallace
Rookies: Avery Bradley, Luke Harangody
Probable Starting Lineup:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Jermaine O’Neal
Record in 2010-11: 54-28, 3rd in the Eastern Conference
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